The invention relates to building security devices and, more particularly, to devices for immobilizing a mail slot door of a building to prevent access to the building through the mail slot door.
It is common for commercial buildings to have a mail slot for allowing mail to be delivered into the building. Typically, such mail slots are located in the front door of the building and are covered by a mail slot door. The mail slot door rotates on a hinge and can be opened to allow mail to be inserted through the mail slot.
While such mail slot arrangements are often necessary to allow mail to be received by the building occupant, they may also allow unwanted or unsolicited items to be delivered into the building, such as trash or unwanted advertising materials. In addition to requiring cleanup, these materials may accumulate on the inside of the building and be seen by passersby through store windows or glass doors. The accumulation can be unsightly and can reflect poorly on the building occupant.
In some cases, it may be possible to reach through the mail slot to the interior of the building to reach a panic bar or to unlock the door. In order to prevent unwanted access to the building in such cases, it is necessary to prevent the mail slot door from being opened.
Thus, a need exists for a device that can be installed to prevent the unwanted opening of a mail slot door and yet be easily removed when desired to allow mail to be delivered into the building.
The mail slot door immobilizer of the present invention is a removable device that prevents the unwanted opening of a mail slot door located within a main door. The mail slot door immobilizer includes an interior portion located on an interior side of the mail slot door and overlapping the mail slot door and the main door, and an exterior portion located on an exterior side of the mail slot door and overlapping the mail slot door and the main door. A fastener removably fastens the interior portion to the exterior portion to clamp the mail slot door and the main door between the interior and exterior portions and to prevent movement of the mail slot door with respect to the main door.
An important aspect of the invention is that the mail slot door immobilizer is tamper resistant. In a preferred embodiment of the mail slot door immobilizer, the fastener extends through the mail slot door from the interior portion to the exterior portion. The exterior portion is provided with an opening which extends only partially through the exterior portion. The opening has a retaining surface which cooperates with a retaining surface of the fastener to retain the fastener within the opening. Because the opening extends only partially through the exterior portion, the fastener is not visible from the exterior side of the mail slot door, thereby discouraging tampering with the fastener.
Another aspect of the invention is the ease of installation and removal of the mail slot door immobilizer. The mail slot door immobilizer can be installed on existing mail slot doors. Once installed, the mail slot door immobilizer can easily be removed and replaced.
Another aspect of the invention is the relatively small surface area of the exterior portion of the mail slot door immobilizer. The mail slot door immobilizer is intended to be used primarily in commercial buildings. It is important to owners and occupants of such buildings that the overall appearance of the building or storefront not be degraded. The relatively small surface area of the exterior portion minimizes the impact of the mail slot door immobilizer on the appearance of the main door. It also facilitates the manufacture of the mail slot door immobilizer at low cost.